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Council of Canadians Kent County chapter activist Ann Pohl (second from the right) stands beside NDP MP Romeo Saganash after the debate on Bill C-262 this past Monday February 5. Pohl was also in the House of Commons public gallery for today's historic vote.

The House of Commons has just voted in favour of Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Numerous chapters - including the Kent County, Kitchener-Waterloo, Quill Plains (Wynyard), North Shore, NWT, Montreal and South Niagara chapters - had contacted their Member of Parliament to encourage them to vote in favour of the legislation. Kent County chapter activist Ann Pohl was in the House of Commons public gallery for both the debate on the bill on February 5 and tonight's second reading vote.

Recent statements and news reports have highlighted that Big Oil is pushing to both save and deepen climate-killing provisions in NAFTA, including the energy proportionality and investor-state dispute settlement provisions.

Energy proportionality
NAFTA includes an energy proportionality provision. The Financial Post explains, "[Article 605] means Canada and the US cannot reduce access to each other’s oil, natural gas, coal, electricity or refined petroleum products without an equivalent reduction in domestic access to the same product. So if Canada wanted to cut oil exports to the US by 20 per cent it would have to cut domestic supplies by 20 per cent as well, except in specific circumstances such as the need to protect national security."

This makes it virtually impossible for a Canadian government to phase out oil and gas exports to the United States and to use conventional fuels in Canada to transition to a 100 per cent clean energy economy by 2050.

The City of Victoria recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, B.C.'s Premier Horgan and key Ministers requesting the prompt and complete implementation of the Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change promise to shift investments from higher to lower emitting types of transportation.

Behind this letter is a truth known by transportation circles that is just now breaking into the mainstream – you can't build your way out of traffic congestion. Building more urban highways is incompatible with climate progress in the transportation sector, and it increases traffic.

Last night, The Globe and Mail reported, "The government indicated on Friday that it will give notice of legislation on Monday [on a new bill that] will cover major projects that are designated to be within federal jurisdiction, including interprovincial pipelines, mines and offshore oil-and-gas drilling."

The CBC further explains, "Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is to table a bill in coming days to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, as well as amend the Navigation Protection Act. Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc is to table a second bill to amend the Fisheries Act."

That article highlights, "Instead of three separate bodies [the National Energy Board, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission] reviewing a designated project like a pipeline, the government is expected to create a single agency to assess the environmental and economic impacts of a project along with social and health impacts. That single agency would also co-ordinate consultations with Indigenous people."

Council of Canadians organizer Robin Tress was present for the removal of the statue of Edward Cornwallis on January 31. Photo by Stephen Thomas.

On January 30, the Canadian Press reported, "Halifax council has voted to immediately remove a statue from a downtown park, with several councillors calling the bronze figure of the city’s controversial military founder a barrier to reconciliation."

In response to that 12-4 vote, Council of Canadians honorary chairperson Maude Barlow tweeted "Very good move".

The Council of Canadians has supported Indigenous-led efforts calling for the removal of this statue of Cornwallis. The Chronicle Herald explains Cornwallis was "a soldier who infamously issued a bounty on the scalps of Mi'kmaqs".

This past weekend, prior to Halifax council's vote, we tweeted our support of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs call for the immediate removal of the statue.